    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 12, 2004]
    [Pages 2466-2475]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Colorado Springs, Colorado
    October 12, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for coming. It's great to be back in
    Colorado Springs. I've come back to ask for your vote. I've come back to
    ask for your help in getting people to the polls on November the 2d. We
    have a duty in this country to participate in the democratic system.
    Remind your friends and neighbors about that duty. Get people from all
    the neighborhoods in Colorado Springs to show up to vote. Get them to do
    what all of us must do, to vote on election day. And when you get them
    headed to the polls, remind them if they want a stronger America, a
    safer

    [[Page 2467]]

    America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
        It's an amazing line of work, isn't it, where you get your daughter
    to introduce you in front of thousands of people. I'm really proud of
    Jenna and Barbara.
    Laura and I love them dearly. I want to thank
    them for their help on the campaign trail. And it warms my heart and
    strengthens my spirit to be campaigning with somebody I love a lot.
        I wish Laura were here today, speaking about
    loving somebody a lot. When I asked her to marry me, she was a public
    school librarian, didn't much care for politics or politicians.
    [Laughter] She said, ``Fine, I'll marry you, just so long as I never
    have to give a speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you've got a deal.''
    Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that pledge. She's speaking a lot,
    and when she does, the American people get to see a compassionate,
    strong, great First Lady in Laura Bush.
        I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. He
    did a great job in his debate the other night. I admit it, he doesn't
    have the waviest hair. [Laughter] But I didn't pick him for his hairdo.
    I picked him because he's a man of sound judgment and great experience.
    I picked him because he's getting the job done for the American people.
        I'm honored to be on the platform with the next United States
    Senator from Colorado, Pete Coors. I hope when
    you're turning out the vote for me, you turn out the vote for Pete as
    well. He'll be taking the place of a really fine fellow in Ben
    Nighthorse Campbell. I've enjoyed
    working with Senator Campbell. He's served your State well. And Pete
    will be serving alongside another fine United States Senator in Wayne
    Allard. I appreciate Wayne being here. Thanks
    for coming, Joan. It's good to see you.
        I'm honored to be on the stage with a great Governor of the State of
    Colorado, Bill Owens. He's doing a fine job. I
    know something about being a Governor. I was one.
        You've got a great Congressman from this district in Joel
    Hefley. I'm proud that he's here, and how about
    his wife, State Representative Lynn Hefley. I
    told Joel the other day, he better hope Lynn doesn't run him in the
    Republican primary. [Laughter]
        You know, I got to meet your mayor when I came to give the
    graduation speech at the Air Force Academy, and I was very impressed by
    Lionel Rivera, Mr. Mayor. What a good man he
    is. And I want to thank his wife, Lynn, for
    being here as well. I want to thank all the State and local officials
    who have joined us.
        I want to thank Sammy Kershaw for being
    here and entertaining. I want to thank The Walker Williams Band for being here and entertaining everybody. I
    appreciate the members of the Olympic team who've joined us today, Shane
    Hamman and Matt Emmons.
    I'm honored you all are here.
        I appreciate those who are here serving in our United States
    military. I want to thank your families--of the men and women who wear
    the uniform. Thank you for your sacrifice and your dedication. I want to
    thank all the veterans who are here today. Thank you all for coming.
    Thank you all.
        I want to thank the grassroots activists for what you're going to
    do, to put up the signs and make the phone calls, turn out the vote.
    There's no doubt we'll carry Colorado again and win a great victory in
    November.
        I'm on my way to Arizona for the final debate. Those debates have
    highlighted the clear differences between the Senator and me on issues ranging from jobs to taxes to health care
    to the war on terror. Much as he's tried to obscure it, on issue after
    issue, my opponent has showed why he earned his ranking as the most
    liberal Member of the United States Senate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!

    [[Page 2468]]

        The President. And several of his statements he made in the last debate simply do not pass the credibility
    test. With a straight face, he said he'd had only one position on Iraq.
    [Laughter] I could barely contain myself. In the spring of 2003, Senator
    Kerry said, ``It was the right decision to remove Saddam Hussein from
    power.'' Now, he says, ``It's the wrong war.'' In the same debate, he
    said Saddam was a threat, and then a few
    minutes later, he said there wasn't a threat in Iraq. And he tries to
    tell us he's had only one position. Who's he trying to kid? See, he can
    run from his record, but he cannot hide.
        With another straight face, he tried to
    tell Americans that when it comes to his health care plan, and I quote,
    ``The Government has nothing to do with it.'' The facts are, 8 out of 10
    people who get health care under Senator Kerry's plan would be placed on
    a Government program, see. He can run, but he cannot hide.
        Then he was asked to look into the
    camera--[laughter]--and promise he would not raise taxes for anyone who
    earns less than $200,000 a year. The problem is, to keep that promise,
    he would have to break almost all of his other ones. [Laughter] His plan
    to raise taxes on the top two brackets would raise, we think, about $600
    billion. But his spending plan costs almost 4 times that much, about
    $2.2 trillion. See, you can't have it both ways. To pay for all the big
    spending programs he's outlined during his campaign, he's going to have
    to raise your taxes. He can run, but he cannot hide.
        You know, after listening to the litany of complaints and the dour
    pessimism, it took all I could do not to make a face. [Laughter] See, I
    have a different philosophy. I'm a compassionate conservative. I think
    Government ought to help people realize their dreams, not tell them how
    to live their lives. I've led this country with principle and resolve,
    and that's how I'm going to lead it, with your help, for 4 more years.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. My plan for a more hopeful America begins with a
    growing economy that creates good jobs. See, I believe in the energy and
    innovation and spirit of our workers, our small-business owners, our
    farmers, our ranchers. And that's why we unleashed that energy with the
    largest tax relief in a generation.
        When you're out convincing people to vote and to come our way,
    remind them what this economy and this country has been through. Six
    months before we got to Washington, the stock market was in serious
    decline. It foreshadowed a recession. Then we found out some of our
    citizens forgot what it meant to be a responsible American, and they
    didn't tell the truth. We passed tough laws to make it abundantly clear
    we won't tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. Those
    scandals hurt our economy. And then we got attacked. And the attack cost
    America 1 million jobs in the 3 months after September the 11th.
        But we acted. We put tax relief in place, and this recession was one
    of the shallowest in American history. The tax relief spurred
    consumption and investment. And as a result, our economy has been
    growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. In the past 13
    months, we've added 1.9 million new jobs. The unemployment rate
    nationally is 5.4 percent--lower than the average rate of the 1970s,
    1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate in the State of Colorado is 5.1
    percent. The homeownership rate is at alltime high in America. More
    minorities own a home than ever before in the history of this country.
    The entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We're moving forward, but there's
    more work to be done.
        In order to make sure jobs are here in America, in order to make
    sure there's hope in this country when it comes to finding work, America
    must be the best place in the world to do business. That means less
    regulations on our employers. That

    [[Page 2469]]

    means legal reforms so these junk lawsuits don't make it hard for people
    to find a job.
        In order to make sure jobs stay here, Congress needed to pass my
    energy plan. See, it's a plan that encourages conservation. We spend
    money on research and development to expand the use of renewables,
    technologies to help us live different ways at the same lifestyle we're
    accustomed to, technologies to help us use coal in environmentally
    friendly ways. I believe we can explore for hydrocarbons in
    environmentally friendly ways. What I'm telling you is, to keep jobs
    here, we must become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        To keep jobs here, we got to open up markets for U.S. products. See,
    we don't want to be closing down markets. We're going to be opening
    markets. It's to your advantage that our market is open from products
    for overseas. See, if you've got more choices to choose from, you're
    likely to get that which you want at a better price and higher quality.
    That's how the marketplace works. So I'm telling places like China,
    ``You treat us the way we treat you. You treat us in a way that opens up
    your markets,'' because we can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere,
    so long as the rules are fair.
        In order to make sure this economy grows, we've got to keep your
    taxes low. Raising taxes would be the wrong prescription for economic
    growth. You've heard my opponent--I talked a little bit a while ago
    about it--he said, oh, he's going to pay for all his programs by taxing
    the rich. We've heard that kind of rhetoric before. The rich hire
    lawyers and accountants for a reason--[laughter]--to pass the tax bill
    on to you. We're not going to let him tax you,
    because we're going to win in November.
        Speaking about the Tax Code, it is a complicated mess. It's a
    million pages long. We spend 6 billion hours a year filling out taxes.
    I'm going to bring Republicans and Democrats together in a new term to
    simplify the Tax Code and make it more fair for the American people.
        Listen, in order to make sure we can compete in a global war, we've
    got to educate our workforce. It all starts with making sure our
    youngsters can read and write and add and subtract. I went to
    Washington, DC, to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations.
    That's what happened in too many classrooms in America, where they would
    just shuffle the kid through, you know, the so-called hard-to-educate,
    an inner-city kid, shuffle him through, or maybe a child whose parents
    didn't speak English as a first language. ``Let's just move him
    through.'' See, that's not the America I know. I believe every child can
    learn. I expect every school to teach. That is why we now measure, so we
    can solve problems early, before they are too late--before it is too
    late. We can't have children coming out the back end of the school
    system that can't read and write and add and subtract anymore, if we
    expect to compete in the 21st century. Do you realize we're closing an
    achievement gap in America, and we're not going to go back to the days
    of mediocrity in our schools.
        There is more work to be done. I believe we ought to fund at-risk
    programs in our high schools. I believe we ought to emphasize math and
    science. I believe, over time, we ought to have a rigorous exam before
    graduation. I know we'll continue to expand Pell grants for low- and
    middle-income families. We want more of our kids who graduate to start
    their career with a college diploma.
        To build a more hopeful America, we've got to make sure health care
    is more available and affordable. We'll have a safety net for those with
    the greatest need. I'm a strong proponent of community health centers.
    These are places where the poor and the indigent can get preventative
    and primary care. It's best they get the care in these centers and not
    in the emergency

    [[Page 2470]]

    rooms around our country. It is a compassionate way to make sure people
    get the help they need. We will continue to make sure our health
    programs for low-income children are fully subscribed to. But we also
    must address this issue of affordability.
        Most of the uninsured are employees of small businesses. Small
    businesses are having trouble affording health care. We should allow
    small businesses to pool together so they can buy insurance at the same
    discounts that big companies can do. I know we need to continue to
    expand health savings accounts, accounts where people can buy low-
    premium policies to cover major medical expenses and can set money aside
    on a tax-free basis to be able to cover their health care needs.
        These are vital plans which will help our small businesses, help our
    young uninsured. These are plans where workers will own their own
    accounts, so they can base their medical decisions on the advice from
    their doctor, not in negotiations with an HMO. These are some
    commonsense, practical ways to make sure health care is available and
    affordable, without increasing the reach of the Federal Government.
        Let me tell you one other practical way to deal with the cost of
    health care. We've got to do something about these frivolous lawsuits
    that are running good docs out of practice, frivolous lawsuits that are
    running up the cost of health care. See, you can't be pro-lawyer--I
    mean, pro-doctor, pro-patient, and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time.
    You have to choose. My opponent made his
    choice, and he put a trial lawyer on the
    ticket.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I made my choice. I'm standing with the doctors and
    the patients. I'm for medical liability reform--now. In all we'll do to
    improve health care, this administration will make sure that the
    decisions are made by patients and doctors, not by Government officials
    in Washington, DC.
        You know, I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass them
    on to future Presidents and future generations. And I saw a problem in
    Medicare. Medicine was modernizing, but Medicare wasn't. And I believe
    we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with good health
    care. Let me tell you what I'm talking about, about modernizing and
    Medicare wasn't. You realize we would pay thousands of dollars for heart
    surgery under Medicare but not one dime for the prescription drug that
    could prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first place.
    That did not make any sense for our seniors, and it didn't make any
    sense for the taxpayers. And so I worked with Republicans and Democrats
    to modernize Medicare. And now, in 2006, our seniors will get
    prescription drug coverage for the first time under Medicare.
        Let me talk about Social Security. You might remember the campaign
    rhetoric of 2000 when they said, ``If old George W. gets elected,
    they're going to take away your check,'' to our seniors. You still got
    your check, didn't you? Just remember that, when we talk about how to
    make sure the Social Security system works for our youngsters. See, baby
    boomers are okay when it comes to the Social Security trust.
        But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren if we
    want to make sure Social Security is available to them. We've got to
    think differently. And so one of the good ideas that I believe is
    necessary--an idea by the way, that came out of a Commission I formed to
    take a look at Social Security, headed by the late Senator Daniel
    Patrick Moynihan, Democrat from New York--was that younger workers ought
    to be allowed to take some of their own tax money and set aside a
    personal savings account that will earn a better rate of return than the
    current Social Security system does, so they will have the capacity to
    be able to realize benefits from a retirement system, a personal account
    they call

    [[Page 2471]]

    their own, and a personal account the Government cannot take away.
        We're living in changing times, and that can be unsettling. That's
    why I've promoted an ownership society throughout our country. We're
    living in changing times, but there's some things that don't change,
    reverence and integrity, compassion and courage. The values we try to
    live by don't change. In changing times, we must support the
    institutions that give our lives direction and purpose, our families,
    our schools, our religious congregations. We stand for a culture of life
    in which every person counts and every being matters. We stand for
    marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society. We stand
    for the appointment of Federal judges who know the difference between
    personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
        This election will also determine how America responds to the
    continuing danger of terrorism. I believe the most solemn duty of the
    American President is to protect the American people. If America shows
    uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward
    tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
        Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we have
    fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for pride, not for power,
    but because the lives of our citizens are at stake. We've got a clear
    strategy. We'll defend the homeland. We'll strengthen our intelligence
    gathering services. We'll transform our military so it can do its job.
    The All-Volunteer Army will remain an all-volunteer army. We're staying
    on the offensive. We will strike the terrorists abroad so we do not have
    to face them here at home. We will continue to work to spread liberty
    and peace. And we will prevail.
        Our strategy is succeeding. Think of the world the way it was 3\1/2\
    years ago. Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida. Pakistan was a
    transit point for terrorist groups. Al Qaida--Saudi Arabia was fertile
    ground for terrorist fundraising. Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear
    weapons. Iraq was a dangerous place, run by a sworn enemy of America. Al
    Qaida was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks.
        Because we acted, the Government of Afghanistan is an ally in the
    war on terror, and they held Presidential elections last weekend.
    Because we acted, Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia
    is making raids and arrests; Libya is dismantling its weapons programs;
    the army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom; and more than three-
    quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates have been brought to
    justice.
        This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and
    some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
    Hussein's record of aggression and his
    support for terror. We knew he hated our country. We knew he had invaded
    another country. We knew he was shooting missiles at American pilots who
    were enforcing the sanctions of the world. We knew he had a long history
    of pursuing and even using weapons of mass destruction. And we knew that
    after September the 11th, we must take threats seriously before they
    fully materialize. That's one of the key lessons that we must never
    forget in order to protect the American people.
        In Saddam Hussein, I saw a threat. And I
    went to the United States Congress. They looked at the same intelligence
    I looked at. They remembered the same history my administration
    remembered. And they concluded that Saddam Hussein was a threat and
    authorized the use of force. My opponent
    looked at the same intelligence I looked at. And he came to the same
    conclusion, and he voted yes when it came time to authorize the use of
    force.
        Before I ever commit troops into harm's way, or any President, we
    must try all means to deal with the threat. No President ever wants to
    send our young into harm's way. No President ever wants to have to do
    that. So I went to the United Nations in hopes that diplomacy would
    work. That

    [[Page 2472]]

    was my hope. I hoped that the free world would come together and make
    its voice clear, which it did. The Security Council voted 15 to nothing
    and said to Saddam Hussein, ``Disclose,
    disarm, or face serious consequences.'' Now, I believe that when an
    international body speaks, it must mean what it says. And that goes for
    the President as well.
        Saddam Hussein had no intention of
    listening to the demands of the free world. He ignored the resolution.
    He deceived the inspectors that were trying to get into--that were in
    his country. Why should he change? This is resolution number 17.
    Resolution after resolution after resolution had been passed, and
    nothing happened. He wasn't about to listen. As a matter of fact, when
    we gave him the final chance, he continued to deceive and evade. So I
    have a choice to make at this point in our history: Do I forget the
    lessons of September the 11th and take the word of a madman, or do I
    take action to defend this country? Given that choice, I will defend
    America every time.
        We did not find the stockpiles that we all thought were there. But I
    want to remind you what the Duelfer
    report said. It said that Saddam Hussein
    retained the intent, the knowledge, and therefore, the capability to
    rebuild his weapons programs. Now, think about that. It also said that
    he was gaming the system, using the Oil for Food Programme to try to
    convince--the polite way of saying it--[laughter]--officials of other
    nations to get rid of the sanctions that were already weakening. And why
    would he do that? Well, because he wanted the world to look the other
    way so he could restart his weapons programs. The greatest danger we
    face is weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist enemy.
    Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision. America
    and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein in a prison cell.
        Because we acted in Afghanistan and Iraq, America is safer and 50
    million people now live in freedom. Think about what happened in
    Afghanistan over the past weekend. You know, it wasn't all that long ago
    that young girls were not allowed to go to school. Their mothers were
    pulled out in the public square and whipped if they didn't toe the line
    of these ideologues of hate. The Taliban were backward and barbaric.
    They had a dark view of the world. This past weekend, millions of Afghan
    citizens voted for their President. The first voter was an Afghan woman,
    a 19-year-old woman. That society has gone
    from darkness to light because of freedom. Freedom is powerful.
        Iraq will have elections in January. They got a strong Prime
    Minister. We're fighting off the terrorists who
    are trying to prevent the elections from happening. Freedom frightens
    these ideologues of hatred. They can't stand the thought of free
    societies.
        It's in our interest that we expand freedom. It's in our interest
    that when we tell the Afghan people and the Iraq people we'll stand with
    them, that we keep our word. It's in our interest that free societies
    emerge in the broader Middle East, because they will be hopeful
    societies, societies which no longer feed resentments and breed violence
    for export. Free governments in the Middle East will fight the
    terrorists instead of harboring them. And that helps us keep the peace.
    Free societies are peaceful societies.
        And so our mission is clear. We will help these countries,
    Afghanistan and Iraq, train their armies and their police so they can do
    the hard work of defending democracy. We'll help them get on the path of
    stability and democracy as quickly as possible, and then our troops will
    come home with the honor they have earned.
        I made a commitment to our troops and their families that we'll make
    sure they have the resources they need to complete their missions.
    That's why I went to the United States Congress in September of 2003 and
    requested $87 billion of supplemental funding. This is really important

    [[Page 2473]]

    money. This is money to help our troops in harm's way in both
    Afghanistan and Iraq. And I was pleased that we received strong
    bipartisan support for the funding request. It was so strong that only
    12 Senators--United States Senators voted against it, 2 of whom are my
    opponent and his runningmate. [Laughter] Now, I want to tell you another
    statistic. Let me just tell you another revealing statistic. There were
    4 United States Senators who voted to authorize the use of force and
    then voted against funding for our troops in harm's way, only 4 out of
    100, 2 of whom are my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That's got to tell you something. So they asked
    him why, and he issued perhaps the most famous
    quote of the 2004 campaign, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion,
    before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] Now, since then, he's given
    numerous explanations for why he made the vote. One of the most
    interesting was he just finally said, ``The whole thing is a complicated
    matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing complicated about supporting our
    troops in combat.
        Listen, on national security, just like domestic policy, we've got
    big differences between us. I want you to remember that my
    opponent has had a record--a record in 20
    years in the United States Senate. He's had a record of voting against
    the weapons systems that helped our country win the cold war. He had a
    record--in 1993, after we got the first World Trade Center attack, he
    voted to cut the intelligence budget by $7.5 billion. See, that's part
    of his thinking. That's record. That happened. He now says he wants a
    ``global test'' before taking action to defend America's security.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Think about that, a ``global test.'' The problem is
    he could never pass his own test. [Laughter] I
    want you to remember this, now, when you're out gathering people to
    vote. In 1990, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution
    supporting action to remove Saddam Hussein
    from Kuwait. The international community was united. Countries
    throughout the world joined the coalition. Yet, in the United States
    Senate, after the Security Council resolution, after it became clear
    there was international support, Senator Kerry voted against the
    authorization of force. Listen, if driving Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait
    with the support of the international community does not meet his test,
    nothing will.
        And that is dangerous, a dangerous way of thinking in the world in
    which we live. We have a different view of our role confronting threats.
    Just this weekend we saw new evidence that the Senator fundamentally misunderstands the war against terror. See,
    earlier he questioned whether this is really a war at all, describing it
    as primarily a law enforcement and intelligence gathering operation,
    instead of a threat that demands the full use of American power. And
    this weekend he talked of reducing terrorism to, quote, ``nuisance''--
    his word--and compared it to prostitution and illegal gambling.
        Our goal is not to reduce terror to some acceptable level of
    nuisance. Our goal is to defeat terror by staying on the offensive,
    destroying the networks, and spreading freedom and liberty.
        During the next 4 years, I will work with our friends and allies.
    We'll continue to build strong coalitions. But I will never turn over
    America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I like to use my
    friend Prime Minister Koizumi to explain
    what I mean by the transformational power of liberty. I saw him in New
    York in early September, and I--at the United Nations--and I said, ``By
    the way, I'm talking about you on the campaign trail. Do you mind if I
    continue to do so?'' He said, ``Not at all.'' I didn't ask him whether
    or not I could tell you whether or not Elvis was his favorite singer.

    [[Page 2474]]

    [Laughter] It's true. [Laughter] One of his favorite movies is ``High
    Noon,'' by the way.
        Anyway--[laughter]--so I like to bring him up because he's the head of a country that some 60 years ago we
    were at war with. My dad fought against the
    Japanese. I'm sure there's some in this audience who did so, and I know
    some dads and granddads did as well.
        And after the war, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States,
    believed in the transformational power of liberty to convert an enemy
    into an ally. That's what he believed. So did a lot of other Americans.
    But there was some great skepticism of what that could mean. You know,
    we were working for democracy in Japan. A lot of people in this country
    said, ``Why do it? Why bother? Why should we care? They were the
    enemy.'' You could understand; families' lives had been turned upside
    down because of the death of a loved one during that war. People were
    questioning whether or not it was worthwhile.
        But fortunately, they believed in the power of liberty, and today, I
    sit down at the table with Prime Minister Koizumi, the head of Japan, talking about the peace, talking
    about how the United States and Japan, former enemies and now allies,
    can work together to achieve the peace we all want for our children and
    our grandchildren.
        I believe we'll succeed in Iraq. I believe there will be a
    democracy. And I envision the day, someday, when an American President
    and a duly elected leader of Iraq are sitting down at the table talking
    about achieving the peace, and our children and our grandchildren will
    be better off for it.
        I believe that millions plead in silence in the Middle East for
    freedom. I believe that women in the Middle East want to have a free
    society and have their children grow up in a free society. I believe
    that if given a chance, the people in the Middle East will embrace the
    most honorable form of government ever devised by man. I believe all
    these things because freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom
    is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
    apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
    expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a time
    that requires firm resolve and clear vision and a deep faith in the
    values that make this a great nation.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. There was workers in hardhats
    there, yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I
    remember doing my best to console those people coming out of the rubble.
    They were there lined up, and we were heading down the ropeline--Rudy
    Giuliani and Governor Pataki and I were going down the line thanking people and
    hugging them. And a guy grabbed me by the arm, and he said, ``Do not let
    me down.'' Ever since that day, I wake up every morning thinking about
    how to better protect our country. I will never relent in defending
    America, whatever it takes.
        Four years ago, when I traveled your great State, I made a pledge
    that if you gave me the chance to serve, I would uphold the honor and
    the dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With your help, I
    will do so for 4 more years.
        God bless. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:37 a.m. at the Colorado Springs World
    Arena and Ice Hall. In his remarks, he referred to Joan Allard, wife of
    Senator Wayne Allard; Gov. Bill Owens of Colorado; Mayor Lionel Rivera
    of Colorado Springs, CO, and his wife, Lynn; entertainers Sammy Kershaw
    and the Walker Williams Band; Shane Hamman, weightlifter, and Matt
    Emmons, shooter,

    [[Page 2475]]

    U.S. Olympic team; Charles Duelfer, Special Advisor to the Director of
    Central Intelligence; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim
    Government; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; Rudolph W.
    Giuliani, former mayor of New York City; and Gov. George E. Pataki of
    New York. He also referred to the ``Comprehensive Report of the Special
    Advisor to the DCI on Iraq's WMD,'' issued September 30.